• - Hanteo Global releases Chapter 3 of ‘Hanteo Rewind 2026’…Presents a new growth formula for the K-POP market
• - Second-year girl group RESCENE from a small-to-mid-sized agency sees album sales rise 198% compared to debut release…Achieves a “career high” with every album in step-by-step growth
• - 2024 release ‘LOVE ATTACK’ makes chart reversal, ranking No. 9 on Hanteo’s monthly digital music chart in June 2026

[Hanteo News = Reporter JUNG JUNHWA] Hanteo Global, a company specializing in global K-POP big data analysis led by CEO Kwak Young-ho, officially released on the 30th the third chapter of its report series ‘Hanteo Rewind 2026 First-Half Review,’ titled ‘Revived, Miracle Growth Data,’ based on the company’s multidimensional data analysis solution.

The report, carried out under the title ‘K-POP Revival,’ analyzes in Chapter 3 the unusual “chart reversal” created by RESCENE, a second-year girl group from a small-to-mid-sized agency, in an environment where major IPs dominate the market, through Hanteo Chart’s album and digital music data.

The report points out through data that RESCENE’s rise was not a stroke of luck, but the result of steadily building album performance and activity exposure even during periods when the group did not receive much attention.

■ Albums built up like steps…Sales rise 198% compared to debut release

RESCENE’s growth stood out not in absolute sales volume, but in a “growth curve that renewed a career high with every album.” According to Hanteo Chart, RESCENE’s album sales climbed step by step with each release, from ‘Scenedrome’ with 36,134 copies to ‘Glow Up’ with 44,537 copies, up 23% from the previous release, ‘Dearest’ with 89,594 copies, up 101%, and its latest release ‘Lip Bomb’ with 106,513 copies, up 19%.

Compared to its debut release, sales increased by about 198%, while the group’s combined sales across five albums in the first half of 2026 reached 312,499 copies. As a second-year group, RESCENE’s initial chodong rose from the 30,000-copy range to the 100,000-copy range, making it the 30th girl group in history to achieve an “initial chodong of 100,000 copies.”

■ A song from two years ago returns…Chart reversal to No. 9 on Hanteo’s digital music chart

The indicator showing that the issue did not end as a one-off buzz was the “digital music chart reversal.” ‘LOVE ATTACK,’ released in 2024, remained outside the chart throughout January to May 2026, but re-entered Hanteo’s monthly digital music chart in June at No. 9, with a Digital Music Index of 251,171 points, setting a new personal best.

At the time, WOODZ’s ‘Drowning’ ranked nearby at No. 8 and Hearts2Hearts’ ‘RUDE!’ at No. 10, while I.O.I, CORTIS at No. 2, aespa at No. 4, and AKMU were positioned higher on the chart. It created an unusual scene in which a rookie group’s song released two years earlier stood side by side with today’s major hit songs. The solid musicality led by the group’s Berkeley-educated CEO and production team is cited as the reason RESCENE was able to turn the sudden attention into digital music performance as well.

■ The butterfly effect of “Geoje Yahoo”…From meme to “team value”

The trigger for the explosion was the phrase “Geoje yahoo~!” from member MINAMI’s “gyaru” concept. The video ‘I Came to Geoje With a Gyaru (Geoje Part 1),’ uploaded to WONI’s personal YouTube channel ‘Hello This Is Woni Nice To Meet You,’ recorded 7.95 million views and became the origin of “Geoje Yahoo,” while the two-part series surpassed a combined 10 million views.

According to Hanteo Chart’s K-POP Culture Research Institute, the channel surpassed 1 million subscribers in June, about four months after opening in February 2026, exceeded 1.2 million subscribers in July, and recorded more than 155 million cumulative views.

The meme spread through the participation of major artists. BIGBANG’s TAEYANG personally planned a challenge and filmed it with WONI and MINAMI, while BTS shouted “Busan Yahoo” at its Busan concert. SULLYOON, izna, H1-KEY, I.O.I, and others also joined the challenge, spreading derivative “○○ Yahoo” memes nationwide.

Attention that entered through individual character appeal shifted to reactions on RESCENE’s official channels and digital music, completing a conversion of value from “meme → channel growth → team recognition → digital music chart reversal → regional brand expansion.” In fact, RESCENE was named an ambassador for four local governments, Geoje, Suwon, Gyeongju, and Goyang, and advertising industry love calls have continued, including the group being selected as CU’s first exclusive K-POP idol model in the convenience store industry.

Hanteo Globall CEO Kwak Young-ho said, “This report is a case in which Hanteo Global’s unrivaled big data aggregation capabilities and the analytical strength of the K-POP Culture Research Institute came together to prove through objective indicators the truth that even in the vast K-POP market, artists who have built solid skills and sincerity can shine,” adding, “Hanteo Global will continue to provide precise data insights and establish itself as an unrivaled data partner that presents a sustainable vision and success milestones for the K-POP industry.”

Meanwhile, the data report series ‘Hanteo Rewind 2026 First-Half Review’ will conclude its series by also releasing Chapter 4, ‘100 Years of Hiatus, Back on Stage,’ which highlights the revival of reunited artists.

joonamana@hanteo.com